Hot-air furnace



J. VAN.

Hot-Air Furnace.

Patented Aug. 23, 1870.

Lithographer. wmxmon. o. c

" ATLENT Erica.

JOHN VAN, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

HOT-Al R FURNACE.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 106,736, dated August23, 1870.

To all whom it may concern-.-

JBe it known that 1, JOHN VAN, of Cincinnati, in the county of Hamiltonand State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inHot-Air Furnaces; and Ido hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact descriptionthercof, reference being had to the annexeddrawings, making a part of this specification.

Figure 1 gives a side elevation with one-half a cross-section. Fig. 2shows the grate-bars detached from the furnace. Fig. 3 represents across-section of the dust-catcher, taken in the line 00 of Fig. 1; andFig. 4 shows the construction of one of the joints.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts.

The nature of my invention relates to a number of devices connected witha hot-air furnace: first, for freeing the warm air coming from thefurnace from a large proportion of the dust which circulates in andabout the room occupied by the furnace; second, for an improved jointholding one section or part of the furnace to the other without the useof bolts or screws, at the same time allowing the different parts torotate on each other, so as to bring the outlets for the smoke and warmair to any position it may be required in respect to the fines; and,third, a vibrating lever or rock-shaft carrying projections or armswhich act on alternate movable bars in the grate, by which the ashes areeasily and quickly shaken from the fire-place of the furnace.

For the first, it consists of a series of dustcatchers, in the bottom ofwhich are placed trays -containing water, and above are broken walls,with which the air comes in contact before it enters the furnace,whereby the particles of dust are caused to fall into the water below,which may be emptied and the tray cleaned, as occasion may require.

It consists,further, of a lap and lock joint for the purpose of lockingand binding together the different parts of a furnace, so arranged thatprojections on one part pass under projections on the other, andpermitting the one to rotate on the other to'any desired position, aswill be more fully explained hereinafter.

Much difficulty has been experiencedin constructin g furnaces, stoves,and other structures for heating to prevent the breaking of the crownplates, bed plates, and other parts,

caused by the expansion and contraction of the several parts, and wherefurnaces have been held together by means of wrought-iron bolts theunequalexpansion and contraction of these metals has almost invariablyshortened the life of the structure. Another cause of breakage is in theunequal expansion of the same plate, and where the parts have beenbolted tightly together it has caused breakages, owingto the want of ajoint which would give sufficiently to accommodate this variation in thesize of plates.

In my furnace, held together by the improved lock-joint, the expansionor contraction of the metal, whether equal or not, is so distributedbetween the several parts as not to strain them, and not being-boltedtight or in any way confined, the metal is permitted to expand orcontract Without straining any of the parts used in the structure.

In construction my invention is as follows:

A is the fire-space, and B the grate. Allthe heat not communicated tothehot-air chamber 0 is carried off, together with smoke, through thepipe A, the smoke being represented by double-barbed arrows and the heatto be led into the rooms by single-barbed arrows. The air which is to bewarmed for the rooms is taken in by a series of air-receivers ordustcatchers, D D, the construction of which consists of asuitable framesupported by legs, and communicating directly with the warm-air chamber0.

On the bottom of the frame rests a tray, D, containing water, and to theroof is attached a series of broken partitions, d, lapping past eachother, and so arranged that the air is slightly resisted in its passagethrough the same and caused to change the direction of its courseconstantly. A similar arangement is placed on the pipe E,leading thewarm air to the apartments to be warmed, as seen at F, Fi 1.

Br is the wall of the hot-air chamber, and has a series of overlappinghorizontal partitions, which retains the air sufficiently to becomewarm. H is the outside jacket, leaving an air-space between it and thewall G, to prevent the heat being communicated to the free air without.I

The joints holding together the different parts of my furnace areconstructed with one or more beads, 45 i, on the face of the part I,

and having projections 13 i, as seen in Fig. 4. On the other part, J,are sections of beads or concentricprojections j j,which,when broughtinto proper position, reach under projections i on part I, thuscompletely locking the two parts with each other. This locking, however,does not prevent the parts from being rotated, as above described.

The grate B consists in making each alternate bar I) to movelongitudinally in guides, while the remaining bars, b, are permanent. Arock-shaft, K, vibrates on journals, and has attached to it arms 70,working in slots cut in the bars I), as seen in Fig.2. A lever, K, isattached to the end of rock-shaft K, by which motion is given to themovable bars 12.

The operation of my inventionis as follows: The air on entering passesthrough the dust catcher or air-receiver D, and in its passage throughthe same comes in contact with the proj ectingplates or brokenpartitions d (I, having its current continually changedand resisted,thereby causing a large proportion of the dust to fall into the traysbelow. The air thus partly freed from dust passes on around thefire-chamber, as shown by the arrows, becoming heated, and passesthrough another dusteatcher, F, which is situated at the top of thefurnace, and formsa part of the hot-air pipe.

This dust-catcher is constructed similarly to the others described, butbeing kept somewhat warmer, the water contained in its tray evaporatesmore readily, and thus catches the fine dust which may have escaped thelower one;

also, on account of the warm air being lighter than it is on enteringthe furnace where it is cold, the upper dust-cather will actcomparatively better, while not sufficient dampness is given to make theair injurious or unpleasant.

The operation of my improved lock-joint, and also the grate-bars, isobvious from the description already given above.

Having thus described the construction and operation of my invention,what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The dust-catcher arranged at the place of entrance of air intotheheating-chamber, in combination with the dust-catcher arranged at theplace of discharge thereof, substantially as and for the purposedescribed.

2. The part J, resting on the part I, and provided with thelocking-joint, substantially as and for the purpose described.

JOHN VAN.

Attest:

THOMAS COSTELLO, XV. XV. MITCHELL.

